Aircraft and other vehicles that have been traditionally manufactured from metallic materials are increasingly being made from composite materials, due in part to their improved strength-to-weight ratios. Commercial aircraft and vehicle manufacturers often desire to mark or brand the aircraft or vehicles with information or indicia (e.g., model numbers, company or brand names, etc.), though this aspect has proven challenging with respect to parts made from composite materials (i.e., composite structures). Painting or printing on these composite structures often causes increases in manufacturing process times (e.g., paint operation flow time), thus increasing costs and time required to manufacture the part. In some cases, the part includes complex, three-dimensional curvature, which is difficult to print on. Using traditional inkjet printing techniques may involve the use of a complicated and costly automated array of print heads. Even further, the use of higher resolution print heads may be precluded in many applications due to the size of the print heads, as smaller footprint print heads may be needed to accommodate tight areas of curved surfaces. There thus remains a need for improved and more cost-effective methods and systems for placing indicia on composite structures.